Earn credit getting on-the-job experiences beyond the classroom.
Sociology-Criminology Major B.A.
The Sociology–Criminology B.A. is offered on OHIO’s campuses and online. It incorporates sociological approaches to criminology, including the study of criminal institutions, crime prevention, and how societies view, define, and react to deviance and crime. The program features:
- A focus on external factors such as poverty, social inequality, and cultural norms that contribute to deviant or criminal behavior.
- Preparation for criminal justice careers ranging from juvenile probation to substance abuse counseling to federal law enforcement
- Preparation for graduate study in sociology, criminology, or law
Faculty Contact: Dr. Amanda Cox
Why Study Sociology and Criminology?
The Sociology-Criminology curriculum focuses on a sociological context, providing students with a broad understanding of the social, cultural, and political contexts that shape criminal behavior and justice institutions. The degree also provides training in social inequality, working with diverse populations, and understanding crime, social control, and policy debates in their broader cultural, political, and social contexts.
Students can choose from a wide variety of criminology concentration courses to tailor their degree to their interests, including criminology, police and society, punishment and society, juvenile delinquency, government and corporate crime, violence against women, crime and the media, and transforming criminal justice.
The Sociology-Criminology major leads to a wide range of career opportunities in the fields of criminal and social justice, making it an excellent choice for students who are interested in pursuing careers related to crime, social control, and justice. Graduates of this major are equipped with professional skills in research methods, analytical reasoning and writing, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and public service, which prepare them for successful careers in various public, private, and non-profit sectors.
With a Sociology-Criminology Degree...
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Intern
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Build Professional Connections
Engage with Appalachia communities in volunteer work and develop your professional network.
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Start Your Career Now
Develop your criminology focus from the get-go with this sociology degree.
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Be a Change Maker
Because the world doesn't need you to just navigate change. It needs you to lead it.
How Is this Program Different from other Sociology Majors?
Focus
The Sociology-Criminology major is designed for students who desire careers in some aspect of criminal justice or who are planning to seek graduate degrees in an area related to the criminal justice system, yet who wish to receive a broad liberal arts education at the same time.
Coursework
The Sociology-Prelaw degree and Sociology-Criminology degree share similarities in terms of the core courses in sociology, research methods, statistics, and a capstone. They differ in their different specific focus and course requirements that reflect their respective career paths in law and law-related fields or criminal justice and related fields. In addition to specialized courses in criminology and criminal justice, some courses outside of Sociology are included, giving the program an interdisciplinary focus.
The Sociology-Criminology degree includes a criminology concentration, which covers the causes and dynamics of deviant and illegal behavior, the organization and effectiveness of criminal justice institutions, and innovative approaches to crime prevention, rehabilitation, and social transformation.
Career Fields
The Sociology-Criminology major leads to a wide range of career opportunities in the fields of criminal and social justice, making it an excellent choice for students who are interested in pursuing careers related to crime, social control, and justice. Graduates of this major are equipped with professional skills in research methods, analytical reasoning and writing, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and public service, which prepare them for successful careers in various public, private, and non-profit sectors.
More about OHIO’s Sociology Degrees
Learn more about OHIO’s three different undergraduate sociology degrees.
Ellen Gill-Franks: 'Don’t be afraid to say yes'
"By being bold enough to allow myself to fail, be rejected, or potentially honored with a new responsibility, I have opened myself up to unexpected growth and immense joy.”
Careers and Graduate School Opportunities
Graduates of the program are employed in a wide variety of occupations ranging from juvenile probation to substance abuse counseling to federal law enforcement.
Other students have used the criminology program as a foundation for graduate study in sociology, criminology, or law.
Featured Courses for the Sociology-Criminology Major
See degree requirements for the Sociology-Criminology degree.
Criminology Core Courses
- SOC 2600 - Criminal Justice
- SOC 3600 - Criminology
- Optional: SOC 4910 - Internship in Sociology & Criminology
Sociology Core Courses
- SOC 1000 - Introduction to Sociology
- SOC 3000 - Development of Sociological Theory
- SOC 3500 - Elementary Research Techniques
Criminology Electives
- SOC 2400 - Breaking the Law
- SOC 2610 - Deviant Behavior
- SOC 2700 - Social Justice
- SOC 2800 - Gender, Crime, and Law
- SOC 3325 - Access to Justice
- SOC 3620 - Ethics in Law, Crime, and Justice
- SOC 3630 - Juvenile Delinquency
- SOC 3640 - Police and Society
- SOC 3650 - Sociology of Mental Illness
- SOC 3660 - Punishment and Society
- SOC 3670 - Corporate and Governmental Crime
- SOC 3675 - Drugs, Crime, and Society
- SOC 3685 - Human Trafficking
- SOC 4610 - Crime and Media
- SOC 4620 - Sociology of the Courts
- SOC 4640 - Law in Societies
- SOC 4660 - Transforming Criminal Justice
- SOC 4670 - Violence Against Women
- SOC 4680 - Crimes Against Humanity
- SOC 4690 - Crime, Risk, and Governance
- SOC 4710 - Gender and Justice